On a Way to a Smile
by Kyandee
Summary: When children are young, they smile for joy and laughter. When they grow, they will begin to smile at pain and humiliation. When they are adults, what is their way to smile? Noctis X Prompto; rating may go up.


After learning about Final Fantasy Versus XIII—or more like Final Fantasy XV, I am very excited to write stories about the series. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy just made me lose my hopes for that game.

This is going to be the first multi-chapter story that I will be writing (other stories that I have written are pretty much canceled. I don't know how long the story will be, but I assure you that I already have a plot planned out.

The story will show the main characters' lives as they grow from being children to adults. The rating may go up however, so be warned. Also, chapters will be listed depending on what grade the main characters are. As you can see, the chapter is elementary, showing that they are in elementary school. The second word is the chapter title, so please take note of that.

Another thing; I am uncertain of whether to put sexual content in the story (only put when they get older!). I plan to have Noctis x Prompto (they will be the main focus of this chapter). As I said, rating may go up depending on the story. If you are offended with such content, please leave. Other than that, enjoy.

Note: I do not own FFXV or its contents and characters; they belong to Square Enix.

Published: 6/26/13

Updated:

* * *

**Fear**. A feeling that makes his heart pound and adrenaline pumping in his legs. It's not the fear that makes him want to squeal and tell someone to take care of it. No—it's a fear that makes him want to run for his life.

After all, no child should go through this fear of death.

"Come out you pussy!" The shouts coming from his pursuers were starting to get louder and the sound of his ears ringing were not helping at all as the boy ran, his hands wrapped around a gleaming crystal as he fled. The footsteps sounded like a thousand horses sprinting towards him, the rain placing a tense, ominous presence around him. Blond strands were swaying as he jumped over a fallen tree, drops of water dripping everywhere he go. The dark trees gave even more fear as lightning flashed, thunder roaring the area of Niflheim. "Fuck this kid—fire at will!"

He gasped as a few bullets rang out near him, the sound of death mortifying him even further. There were more moments where he was so close to death and yet he still lives; it's a miracle that he has gone this far.

He thought too soon.

An intense ringing noise flooded his sensitive ears, making him fall down a muddy ditch. His eyes were blurred as he struggled to find the source, then discovered dark red liquid all over his hands. He was bleeding.

The bullet pierced through his shoulder as he clamped his fingers over the wound, gritting his teeth to prevent any noises escaping his lips. Yet he was a child, holding no knowledge of surviving an assassination attempt or the wild. The object that was in his arms landed on his tiny stomach, the shine still strong as ever. He stared at it wildly before attempting to stand up, crying at the bullet wound while picking up his item.

"There!" More rounds fired above his head as he ducked in time, hugging his package and his injury. The agony in his shoulder blossomed more blood as he accidently squeezed it, his eyes squinting as he attempted to run again, only to fall. His feet gave way as he slid down the ditch and nearly fell off the land. Below it was the raging ocean, as if waiting to swallow him up. He almost wailed at the sight, wondering which path of death he should take. The heavy footsteps stopped near him and he heard them sighing in relief after their pursuit finally ended. "Okay… you fucking brat—hand it over."

The boy looked back at the soldiers, their guns aimed at his forehead. There was blood all over the youth, his blond hair sticking from the rain and his red fluid. The item in his arms started to glow even more, illuminating the area around him. His shoulders raised at this sudden event.

"_Be brave my boy…"_

A warming sensation filled his heart as he gazed up at the soldiers and back at the storming waters.

"_Remember what I told you to do…"_

He suddenly had the strength to get back on his feet and backed away slowly from the men, nearing the sign of death.

"_Find your way…"_

"Fire!"

"_And never turn back."_

He jumped.

* * *

"But Cor—"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why the hell not?"

"…No."

The shortest boy pouted at the adult that was in charge of watching him and his friends. The courtyard was full of trees and magnificent flowers, sunlight brightening through the shadows. It would've been a perfect day to run around and play, but if you get a strict bodyguard like Cor… forget it. It was never fun to be around Cor and especially be babysat by him. The taller one, Gladiolus (or Gladio for short) crossed his arms and glared at the older man.

"It's just a tree. We won't fall," he assured, but Cor shook his head.

"No."

"But if we do climb it, I can be able to study the leaves and learn their structures. Who knows what organs they hold?" Despite being the smartest of the group, Ignis seemed rather desperate to climb the tree as well, his big round glasses shining at Cor.

"No." Both Gladiolus and Ignis sighed before turning to their youngest friend, looking for hope just to climb a tree. This situation was rather childish to their babysitter as he sighed in annoyance. "Your Highness, I mean it."

The prince gave his brave face and glared up at the knight. "As crown prince of the kingdom of Lucis, I hereby declare you to be fired!" Gladiolus gave a fist bump to his friend while Ignis had a conflicted frown on his face.

"You go Noct!" Gladiolus declared as he gave a smirk to Cor, who rolled his eyes. Noctis—or Noct as his close friends call him—smiled in pride. The adult shook his head and, if Noctis presumed, joked.

"That's the fifteenth time you told me that I get fired yet why am I still here?" Cor countered, wiping the smirks off the children. Noctis, upon realizing his mistake, pouted.

"When I become king, I _will _have you fired!"

"We shall see about that, Your Highness. And Gladiolus, I will have to discuss about your language to your father." Said boy had a look of dread on his face as his shoulders fell.

"N-No you won't!" He cried as he looked at Cor desperately. Ignis chuckled along while Noctis didn't look too amused.

"Gladio—Cor is just joking!"

"And when does he ever joke?" Ignis cut in as the children watched Gladiolus argue with Cor. The humorous moment was interrupted when Cor suddenly stopped talking with the youth and bowed down. The boys looked confused until they turned around, spotting King Regis walking with two of his men. Upon seeing his father, Noctis excitedly ran off towards his father.

"Dad—can we go training like you said?"

"I'm afraid not today. Cor, please watch over the boys for a little longer. I have some… business to take care of," Regis said as he walked over to Cor and whispered in his ear. The knight frowned before nodding.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he saluted before the king nodded and walked away, leaving Noctis depressed.

"Why does he always leave me out?" He complained, looking at his friends. Gladiolus and Ignis shrugged, but Cor heard their conversation.

"His Majesty is busy today, Your Highness. Please understand," he reassured. Noctis glared at him before sighing. Gladiolus suddenly placed an arm around his neck as well as Ignis.

"Hey… I'll do this and you two can find out what Noct's dad is up to," he whispered and before Noctis or Ignis could say a word, their friend left and started jumping on a rather tall tree. Cor, upon noticing, rushed towards the boy.

"Gladiolus Amicitia—get down from that tree this instant!" He yelled, but the boy ignored the warning and looked down at the adult.

"Why should I, Cor? Make me! Unless _you_ can't climb a tree!"

"Why you—" Cor started to climb the tree, but Gladiolus has the advantage with his light weight. He went from branch to branch, constantly taunting the knight. Noctis stared at his friend in shock before nudging Ignis.

"Come on—let's go," he whispered before departing the courtyard. Ignis looked conflicted before following the prince. The children could hear Gladiolus cussing at Cor to their amusement as they left.

* * *

It would've been a child's fear if he left his home, but this was not the case for either Noctis or Ignis. In fact, the boys have been leaving the palace too many times to count and the consequences were not as scary when they were much younger. And so, taking the secret path that they have been using since they were young (where was it you may ask? It's called a secret for a good reason), Noctis and Ignis sneaked passed the Lucis Knights and into the usually bustling town. However, it wasn't… bustling.

Where men would be laughing, there were none that did. Where women and children strolling about, there were none that did. Not even a single animal came out to greet the boys. The golden buildings were empty, but not for long as the boys walked down the road. In the horizon were the docks, where fishermen and sailor worked. The docks could be busy, but never crowded.

Noctis' eyes widened at the sight of the people there; in fact, the entire town seemed to be crowding the docks. He heard Ignis gasp as they walked towards the commotion, the boys able to hear the conversations between numerous people. That was where his father is most likely at as they finally reached their destination, unable to learn what the topic was about due to all the citizens there.

"What do you think is going on?" Noctis asked Ignis as they stared at the crowd from a faraway distance. The older boy shrugged, frowning.

"Either there was an accident or a killing." Noctis scoffed at the sound of the last word.

_Killing? _He was taught that killing was unlawful—or stated by his father. Yet it was highly unlikely that a person would've been murdered in the kingdom of Lucis; there has not been one since Noctis' birth.

The boys sat on a nearby bench, Noctis' patience thinning as he desperately wanted to know what was happening. Finally, the voices died down as a gap was formed in the crowd, Regis and some of his men leaving the commotion. Upon the sight, Noctis jumped from the bench and ran to his father, not caring about the consequences he would most likely receive later.

"Dad! Dad! What happened?" He cried out, absorbing Regis' attention. His father was not shocked, but gave a displeased look to his son.

"Noctis, you were supposed to be with Cor. As well as you, Ignis," he scolded before looking down at his son. "I had some sudden business to take care of."

"Like what?" Noctis asked as he looked back at the soldiers, his excitement dying when he stared at a knight carrying something—no, some_one_ in his arms. He heard Ignis gasp at the sight, but Noctis took the brave actions to walk closer to the stranger.

It was a boy that was around his age, his eyes closed and sported rather ragged clothes, as if he had never washed them for days. What mortified Noctis the most was the dried blood on his left shoulder, staining the filthy shirt. However, Noctis' eyes were drawn to the boy's face, freckles somewhat visible and the color of gold on his hair. The blond was all drenched; he must've been in the water for a long time. But he was also shivering; a sign that he was still alive.

"What… what happened to him?" Noctis whispered, feeling concerned for the poor child. Ignis was also surprised, but he studied the boy as well.

"He's a blond…" Noctis gave a confused look to his friend.

"Blond?" Here in Lucis, the people were born with brown or black hair. A blond in the kingdom would show that he or she was a foreigner and the topic of that was rather sensitive to the Lucis kingdom. So the child was a foreigner, but why be here in a different kingdom?

Ignis gave a conflicted look to the blond. "He's not from here. Is he trying to infiltrate the kingdom or something?"

"No," Regis cut in as he put a hand on Noctis' shoulder. "A mere child cannot be a spy from the outside world. He's injured, so we should get him back to the palace."

"You should kick him out or something," Ignis said rather harshly, crossing his arms. "A blond means no good."

"I will discuss that with your father later. Now children, please follow us back home."

* * *

Worried and curious, the prince chose to sit down near the unconscious blond despite orders from the doctors. The hospital wing was always quiet, but never tense for the boy as he stared at the boy, donned in a small hospital gown. His father agreed for him to stay, but must remain silent. As for Gladiolus and Ignis, the boys were unfortunately marched off to their parents for disobeying orders. Noctis would receive his punishment later. Currently, he was watching the doctors working their healing business on the blond. His eyes and thoughts never left the boy.

He was wondering about what Ignis said. True that blonds usually meant trouble, but not all the time. This was, in fact, the first time he saw a blond, as well as the first time he saw a child from another kingdom. Ignis probably saw a blond before and he looked disgusted at the sight of one as well. Noctis felt curious about the boy however, especially after witnessing the blood all over him.

He later learned that the stranger was found in the ocean by a fisherman, which lead the commotion and attracted his father's attention. The wound however, remained unquestioned until later.

Eventually, nothing surprising happened and Noctis' curiosity turned into boredom as he sighed, regretting his choice of staying. Perhaps he should've stayed with Gladiolus and Ignis, but then he realized that he didn't want to listen to the boring warnings coming from his father. Or perhaps even wore—apologize to Cor.

_Man…_ Noctis' eyes started to droop and almost fell asleep until a sudden clanking noise startled him. More noises and eventually voices from the doctors added to the commotion as Noctis looked at the blond, who was wide awake, but with a fearful look.

"Oh dear—he's awake!" The blond managed to leap from his bed, but got on his knees; he appeared to be still injured. The doctor reached him and attempted to help him. "Are you okay?"

"G-Get away from me!" The blond cried out as he tried to escape the doctor's grasp. Noctis gasped when the blond managed to grab a syringe that had dropped on the ground and slam it hard onto the doctor's shoulder. The man shouted in agony and released the blond. The boy stood up and ran out the door rather quickly, the doctors surrounding their injured comrade. Noctis fled the room and ran to the blond, impressed at the blond's agility. Despite being injured, the boy put up quite a fight running.

"W-Wait!" Noctis said as he continued chasing the boy. Knights were attracted to the situation and attempted to grab the blond in the hallways, only missing due to his amazing speed. Though exhausted, the prince continued his pursuit for the blond.

Eventually, the chase ended when the boys reached the courtyard, the blond stopping. Noctis tried to speak again, but watched as the boy suddenly had the idea to climb the tree that Noctis and his friends wanted to go on some time ago. Sweat dripped down from Noctis' face as he gazed in awe at the boy's impressive speed on climbing the rather tall tree until the boy was hidden by the leaves; perhaps he had reached the top. Neither Noctis nor his friends had ever reached that point.

"Noctis!" He turned to the source, where his friends, a few knights including Cor, and his father came. His father bent down to inspect his son's tired face. "Your face is so red! What happened?

"I… I saw… the blond…" Noctis gasped out, pointing at the tree. "He… he went up that… that tree!"

Regis looked up at the topiary, giving a frown. "All the way to the top?"

"Y-yeah!" His father seemed concerned as he looked back at his knights.

"No child have ever climbed the top, how will we ever get the boy down?" Regis asked, hoping for other suggestions. The knights looked conflicted as well. Ignis, on the other hand, looked annoyed at how the adults were handling the situation.

"It's a blond; what's the point? Leave him up there to die or something," he suggested rather seriously. Regis gave a stern look to the boy, but ignored his words.

"I'm also afraid that if a knight goes up there, the boy would attack him. I do not want to risk that." Gladiolus suddenly smiled and looked at the tree.

"Maybe… maybe I can climb the tree?" All the knights and even Ignis gave a glare at the boy. He shrugged despite this. "What? I'm not that heavy and plus, he's probably scared of knights."

"It's a blond! He's a foreigner!" Ignis exaggerated. Regis on the other hand, nodded.

"Children can understand each other better. Very well, Gladiolus. I will give you permission to do so, but please… be careful."

"Can I go, too?" Noctis asked, receiving a glare from his father. "I… I want to help, too."

Regis stayed quiet for a moment before nodding. "Very well…" After that, Gladiolus suddenly grabbed Noctis and the boys ran towards the tree.

"Dude—I can't believe we get to climb this tree to the top! Did you see Cor's face when your dad said yes?" Gladiolus ranted on as the boys climbed the tree. Though exhausted, Noctis managed to keep up with Gladiolus' fast pace and ascend higher in the topiary. He dared not to look down; none of them had ever climbed this far before. The boys sat down on a sturdy branch and looked up, spotting a pair of feet. "Hey—that's him!"

The boy looked down and gasped before grabbing a stray twig, the end sharp as a sword. Noctis was taken aback, but Gladiolus didn't seem deterred.

"Yo, you okay? The doctors said you were still injured!" He shouted, making the blond flinch. His voice seemed to reach the bottom as well, as the adults and Ignis shouted back.

"Noctis! Gladiolus! Is everything alright?"

"I told you it was a bad idea! It's just a blond—leave him!"

Noctis frowned as the blond leaped down to another branch, still holding the deadly weapon in his hand. "D-Don't you dare come close!"

"Look, we just want to help you!" Gladiolus said, still eyeing the boy. "Um… let's at least get to know each other's name! I'm Gladiolus—or Gladio for short—and that's Noctis! See—now can you trust us?"

"Why should I?" The blond countered and Noctis thought he could hear his voice wavering. "I… I'm not telling you mine!"

"Come on! Don't you realize the trouble you're making?" Gladiolus continued to pressure the boy. Feeling worried, Noctis tapped his shoulder.

"Um… Gladio—I think we should just listen to Ignis and leave him. He doesn't trust us…"

"So we came all the way up here for nothing?"

"Yes!" Noctis hissed, but his friend shook his head.

"Dude, just try to talk to him!" He insisted yet Noctis refused as he went down a branch. "Noct—where are you going?"

"We gotta respect him, Gladio. It's his choice, not ours," Noctis said as he glanced at the blond, his gaze softening at the prince, his arm holding the branch lowering. For some reason, the boy was blinking rather quickly, as if he was fighting sleep. "Come on, he looks like he'll fall off the tree because you're shouting at him too much—"

He stopped when the blond's eyes closed and his body leaned forward, losing his grip on the branch he was on. The boy started to fall and Gladiolus was still looking at Noctis with a conflicted gaze, unaware of what was happening behind him. Without warning, Noctis suddenly jumped out of his branch and catch the blond in his arms, hugging him close to him as they plummeted to the ground.  
"NOCT!" Gladiolus shouted above him. Noctis shut his eyes as he prepared for the landing. Suddenly, a blinding light came forth and filled a warm sensation to Noctis, the air around him suddenly stopped moving. Bright shards surrounded him when he opened his eyes, gasping at the numerous sparkles. He felt his body stop falling and was drifted slowly to the grass, his back sensing the warm moss below him. The blond was still on him, unconscious. Noctis blinked in confusion before sitting up, staring at the stranger. He had seen the light before, but it felt unfamiliar though…

"Noctis!" He turned to the source and found his father kneeling, checking to see if there were any injuries made. "What were you doing?"

"D-Dad?" Noctis gasped out, glancing around the area. He was falling and suddenly, he was safe on the ground? "You… you saved us, didn't you?"

"What?"

"The crystal… you used the crystal, didn't you?" His father gave a frown and shook his head.

"No… I didn't. But whatever happened—forget it. Are you alright?" Noctis nodded and Regis sighed in relief. "Good. From now on, no more tree climbing."

Noctis heard Gladiolus complain, but nodded. "O-Okay…" Regis stood up and looked at a knight.

"Carry him to the hospital wing and tell the doctors to not hesitate in strapping him down," he ordered. Noctis gave another look at the blond before allowing the knight to take him. He got up and nearly collapsed when Gladiolus suddenly ran up to him and gave him a tight hug.

"Holy shit—that scared me!" He cried out, but Noctis saw a knight give a discouraging look to the boy.

"Gladiolus! Language!"

"I thought you died! But you started to fall and then this huge light came out of nowhere and then you were on the ground and I thought you died and—"

"Gladio! You're choking him!" Ignis warned and Noctis breathed in relief when his friend finally released him. Then it was Ignis' turn to talk to Noctis. "I can't believe it—you actually tried to save him? You shouldn't! That blond isn't even worth saving—he's an enemy for crying out loud!"

"But he's our age!" Noctis countered, giving a disapproving look to his friend. "A kid is an enemy? Seriously, Ignis?"

"Doesn't matter! You nearly died trying to save him!" Ignis huffed, biting his bottom lip. "Why?"

"Because he needed help!"

"Didn't seem like it when you tried to walk away," Gladiolus pointed out, making Noctis' eyes widen. "Why did you? No offense there—just saying."

"B-Because… oh I don't know!" Noctis stammered, pouting. "Now can we stop with this?"

"Exactly," Regis cut in, placing a hand on Noctis' shoulder. "Noctis, I must talk with you, but that will be later. You need your rest and… I'm proud of you, my son."

"Why? For nearly killing myself?"

"For willing to give your life to save someone else." Regis' words made Ignis scoff.

"More like saving an enemy." He received a jab from Gladiolus.

"You are all dismissed. Noctis, I will take you to your room now," Regis said as he squeezed Noctis' shoulder lightly. "You did a very good job."

"T-Thanks… Dad…" Noctis sighed as he was lead away, feeling a bit concerned for the blond. "What about the… the kid?"

"I will discuss that with some of my men. I'm confused as to where the boy came from, but I also fear that as well."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"I don't know, Noctis."

* * *

The next chapter will reveal a lot more of Prompto's personality. Currently, the boys are in elementary school, are around 8 – 9 years old, and the story will follow their lives as they get older. The story will end when the events of FFXV start. Also, please tell me if you wish for OC's or not; they will have small roles such as knights or royal counselors. If you have any questions, I will answer them in the next chapter.


End file.
